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US 4,011,270 AGranted
Recrystallized menthol product and method of making
AssigneeI. P. Callison & Sons, Inc.
InventorRichard Gardner Carrington
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A recrystallized menthol product derived from crude natural menthol is described for incorporation into foods, beverages and tobacco in amounts sufficient to create a lingering cool sensation in the mouth of the user of the food, beverage or tobacco with little or no taste of menthol. The recrystallized menthol product is recrystallized from an ethanol-water solution of crude natural menthol under specific conditions.
Claims6
A method of obtaining a menthol product from crude natural menthol, comprising the steps of:
- dissolving the crude natural menthol in an alcohol-water solution containing 20-40% by volume ethyl alcohol, with the remainder water, to form an emulsion thereof at a temperature ranging from 18.degree.-25.degree. C.,
- allowing phase separation of the emulsion in a clear glass vessel into an upper phase and a lower phase, the upper phase containing liquid menthol and ethyl alcohol and the lower phase containing primarily water, some alcohol and residual liquid menthol, and in the presence of light
- suspending a glass rod or synthetic plastic-coated glass rod in the upper phase with the lower end of the rod touching the interface between the upper and lower phases but not entering the lower phase, the menthol contained in the upper phase recrystallizing on the rod above the liquid level of the upper phase.
A method of obtaining a menthol product comprising the steps of:
- dissolving, with agitation, in a clear glass vessel crude natural menthol crystals in an ethyl alcohol-water solution to form an emulsion thereof, the alcohol-water solution containing from 20-40% by volume ethyl alcohol,
- allowing the emulsion to stand at ambient temperature in the presence of sunlight until phase separation into an upper phase and a lower phase occurs, the upper phase being crystal clear in appearance and containing liquid menthol and alcohol and the lower phase being milky in appearance and containing primarily water, some alcohol and small amounts of dissolved menthol,
- vertically suspending a rod having an outer exposed surface of a solid synthetic resin selected from the group consisting of polyethylene and polypropylene in the upper phase with the lower end of the rod touching the interface between the upper and lower phases but not entering the lower phase,
- allowing crystallization to occur at ambient temperature, crystallization occurring on the side walls of the clear glass vessel above the level of the liquid in the vessel and the side wall of the container subjected to sunlight with the majority of the crystallization occurring on the rod above the level of the upper phase in the container, and
- recovering the recrystallized product from the side walls of the vessel and the rod without contact with any portion of the upper liquid phase.
2 more elements
A crystalline menthol product obtained from crude menthol crystals by:
- dissolving crude natural menthol in an alcohol-water solution containing 20-40% by volume ethyl alcohol and the remainder water in a glass vessel at a temperature ranging from 18.degree.-25.degree. C. to form an emulsion thereof,
- allowing phase separation of the emulsion in a clear glass vessel into upper and lower phases, the upper phase being clear and containing liquid menthol and alcohol and the lower phase being milky in appearance and containing primarily water, along with some alcohol and residual liquid menthol, and in the presence of light
- suspending a glass rod or a synthetic plastic-coated glass rod in the upper phase with the lower end of the rod touching the interface between the upper and lower phases but not entering the lower phase, the crystalline menthol product recrystallizing on the rod above the liquid level of the upper phase, the rod having an outer exposed surface of a material selected from the group consisting of glass, polyethylene or polypropylene.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.